Shatterglass
by CrypticMoonFang
Summary: Serena has finally met the man of her dreams and she's convinced he loves her, but when her relationship with him takes a turn for the worst, she finds she's pushed away the one person that can help her. Sere/Seiya at first, Sere/Dare later. Give it a chance, it'll be worth your time.
1. Chapter 1

-Chapter 1-

~**_Serena's POV_**~

It was only three months ago that I had met the love of my life, the man of my dreams, my very own knight in shining armor. He was sweet, caring, understanding...come to think of it, there wasn't really anything bad about him. He was just so perfect. I remember...when I first met him. The best day of my life. It started out like a stupid crappy romance love scene, that sappy stuff you always see on the screens of the cinemas. But you get the point.

* * *

><p>It was a rainy day and I had ignored my parents' advice to wear a raincoat, or bring an umbrella. I had no idea what had gotten into me, probably the argument my mom and I had the night before. So there I was, stuck out in the freezing rain. I <em>swore<em> it was hailing. I had chosen to wear a thin long-sleeved shirt with next to no protection from the weather, and a knee-length skirt. It sucked that I had to walk home...

My best friends, including Molly, had all gone their separate ways. Molly lived the closest to me, but she lived in a whole different neighborhood. She couldn't walk me home. I was stuck in this crap-hole alone. It probably didn't help that I'd fallen asleep during my last class. It also probably didn't help that my teacher hated me and had chosen not to wake me up. Plus, I was such a deep sleeper that I didn't even wake for the bell... I could be the worst idiot sometimes.

I stood half-frozen, waiting for all those car lights to stop shooting past me and let me through. The law that "pedestrians had the right of way" obviously wasn't enforced very much here.

My teeth chattered uncontrollably. At this rate I was going to catch a cold, or the flu, or something like strep throat. Man, I really wished I'd listened to my parents...

I wrung my hair out, wiped the rain off my face, and braced myself for the icy winds. Suddenly the rain vanished. My eyes were still too drenched, and I wiped them again to regain my vision. My eyelashes had clumped together, making it look like I done a poor job of putting mascara on. My skin was completely pale, and I still couldn't stop shivering. It was annoying, really.

I glanced up. A kindly man was smiling down at me as he tucked me under his black raincoat. It was then that realized the rain was still there, pattering against this man's coat. The storm hadn't instantly passed, I was simply being shielded from it by this...well, embarrassingly handsome man. I felt myself blush, but I knew for a fact it wasn't showing. My face was far too cold for color to seep through.

He told me to put my arm through one of the sleeves, which I did eagerly, for warmth if nothing else. I was shocked that this one raincoat was large enough to cover the both of us. I held back a girlish giggle that started to bubble inside me. I couldn't help it...we were pressed awfully close against each other...and he was so warm...

We waited for the traffic to stop forever, but being as it was the holiday season, there was just no end to the flashing lights and occasional car horns. My house couldn't be reached unless I crossed this death road, and I had no choice but to tell this to the nice man who had saved me from becoming a Serena-cicle.

"It's okay, you can stay at my place until it stops raining!" he yelled to me over the pitter-patter of the downpour. I forced back another giggle. He had a lovely voice.

I agreed to accompany him. As fate would have it, his home was a nice apartment. It was a little messy, but he was a guy, so that sort of made it okay. The unfortunate part was that his apartment, which had like four rooms, was a bit far from my house.

"I don't want to be rude or anything, but I really need to call my parents," I told him. "I was held back by the traffic and they were expecting me to be home about two or three hours ago. I want to let them know I'm fine."

He smiled (I loved his smile) and gave me his cell phone. I flipped it open and dialed my home number.

After only one ring, my mother picked up the phone. I could hear her hushing everyone else in the house so she could hear who was calling. "Hello?"

"Hey, Mom. It's me. I just wanted to let you that I can't come home yet. There a bad storm and too much traffic."

She asked me why I was calling from a different number. Again, the fault of my stupidity...

"I left my phone at home and forgot to bring it to school with me. I'm borrowing one from someone else," I answered.

Yelling. Lots of yelling. I knew it was because she loved me and was relieved that I was okay, but she didn't need to make me feel bad about it.

"Yeah, I know. Sorry, it won't happen again," I said.

"IT _BETTER_ NOT HAPPEN AGAIN, SERENA!" Wow. She was so loud that the man looked at me in a strange way, but quickly turned his head back, as though he hadn't heard my mother screaming at me over his phone.

"Uh, I'll call you back when the storm passes, okay?" I mumbled into the speaker.

My mom grunted and hung up. I hoped that meant I was off the hook.

I turned back to the man, who grinned at me. My face was still pale, my hair still looked like a rat's nest, and I was still saturated in water. I had no clue why he motioned for me to sit on the couch. (His couch faced a big flat-screen TV! How lucky could I _get_?) I sat down, only to be faced with a weird silence that made me uncomfortable. He seemed just as uncomfortable, but tried to start a decent conversation anyway.

"So," he began, "you're name is Serena?"

I nodded. I had to give him some credit. At least he was trying to break through the quiet barrier. I wasn't really doing anything at the moment.

"That's a pretty name."

Yup. It was official. I liked him already.

"Thanks," I whispered shyly. Thank God my face was still pale and cold.

"My name is Seiya. I'm part of a band called the Starlights. Ever heard of it?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Sorry, I haven't heard of anything like that. But it's cool you're in a band. Is that how you got this big apartment?"

"Yeah. My friends and I used to share it, but we had a huge fight and we split up. They got their own apartments and I was stuck here. Gets kind of lonely, you know?"

I smiled, happy to keep him company. I knew what it was like to be lonely, but I didn't know what it was like to be all by yourself. I still had my friends, and they called me all the time. Molly, Rei, Amy, Lita, and Mina. And hopefully I could be friends with Seiya. Not only would it be awesome to visit his apartment every now and then, but he would have someone to talk with.

"So were your friends also your band members?" I asked, trying to keep the conversation going.

"Yeah, they were. We played an amazing bass, and our guitar solos were just as good. We also took turns singing."

"Wow. That sounds like fun," I replied.

"Well, it started off that way, but then we all got jealous of the others. We started bickering about who was better at singing, playing the guitar, and drumming. It was really a stupid thing to argue about, but apparently we still hate each other. I haven't seen or talked to them in years," he explained.

"Did you ever argue about who's better looking?" Crap. Crap crap crap. Why did I just go there? I'd have been better off if I kept my mouth shut. Seriously, I was blowing it! Why couldn't my stupidity ever come in handy for once?

To my great relief, he didn't sense any flirtation in my question and chuckled lightheartedly. "Well, if you were in the band, we probably would've."

No matter how pale my skin was, no matter how cold it was, I knew there was some intense redness leaking through. And really, who could blame me? This Seiya guy was kind, handsome, and to be blunt about it, charming. And let's not forget that he was in a band, which was pretty hot. Plus, he had his own apartment, he lived by himself, and judging by what he just said about me being in his band, he didn't have a girlfriend. And every girl knew that any single guy was fair game. And boy did I want this one.

I flashed a smile. My teeth were straight and white, just like his.

I watched him crack his own little smile and I listened closely when he told me I had a pretty smile. I can't forget to mention that he also told me I had beautiful eyes. He said something about me looking like an angel with my blue crystal eyes and my blonde hair. And for the first time ever, someone actually complemented my hairstyle. I liked this change of pace. After having Darien crack humiliating jokes about my looks and the way I ate, I was finally getting away from all that.

We kept up our conversation, which was turning from a normal, everyday chat into a bunch of flirting around and learning more about one another, for the next few hours. When I was starting to get tired, Seiya glanced toward the window. The rain hadn't let up at all, and there was still traffic flying by. I wouldn't be going home anytime tonight.

He offered to let me sleep in his guest room tonight, and I felt like I had no choice but to accept. After all, there was still the option of walking right back into the downpour and soaking myself again and then wait for traffic. But Seiya didn't say I _had_ to stay. Technically I had made my own choice. And it wouldn't hurt to lie to my mother about all this. I could just say that Rei had seen me standing out in the rain and had led me to her place, where I used her grandpa's cell phone to call her.

Now, why would I lie about this? Well, was it in all innocence? Yes. Was it doing any harm to either of us? No. Was it hurting anyone's feelings? No. Was it providing me with shelter? Yes.

Was I spending the night with a hot guy who had just been flirting with me? Yes.

So yeah, it would be safe to assume that my mother would have a heart attack if she knew about this. But if she was in my position, including having the marital status of "single", what would she do? There's a super-handsome man covering her with his raincoat. It's wet outside and she's standing there freezing to death. The man leads her to his apartment so she could dry off and get comfortable even with it raining out. The man starts flirting with her even though she looks like a mess. The man is interesting to talk to, and his charms are overwhelming her. Then she gets tired and the rain still hasn't stopped. The man offers her a stay at his place. Would she accept? Would she decline? She would not decline, she would accept his offer eagerly. Any girl would.

So even if she found out about it, by some random strike of chance, she couldn't place blame on me, especially since it was hardly an option.

Seiya led me to his guest room and opened the door so I could see inside. Going so far as to open a door for me... He was definitely a guy I would want to date. He might even surpass Andrew!

I peeked inside and was impressed by what I saw. The room itself wasn't large, but it was cozy enough for even the most hateful person to like. Had to hand it to the guy, he knew exactly what a girl wanted.

I went inside, sat on the edge of the bed and waited, not knowing what else to do. Seiya seemed to understand this and closed the door. I had never been in a man's apartment before. Even with Seiya out of the room, it was freakishly strange to be in here. I opened the closet and saw only a number of hangers. Then again, he lived alone and this guest room didn't look as though it had been used in quite awhile. So of course he wouldn't have clothes in here.

I yawned and stretched, then closed the closet door. I was tired. And hungry, but I didn't want to be a pain. For a moment, I looked around the room. I guess I was just trying to get familiar with my surroundings. It was weird...I didn't feel trapped like I do when I go to my cousin's house. I felt right in place. Now, I didn't know if it was just because it was cozy, or if it was because Seiya was in the bedroom next to this one. Either way, I would sleep well tonight. And thank God it was a Friday today. Tomorrow would be Saturday, which meant I could sleep in.

Darn it all there was thunder and lightning... Scared me half to death!

But thankfully Seiya was there, and when I woke up screaming he let me sleep in his bed. He was mindful to keep a bit of a distance from me, to let me know he wasn't going to try anything with me.

* * *

><p>The next day, after enduring a verbal smack-down from my mother and father, I met up with my friends at the arcade. I didn't hesitate to describe my stay with Seiya. I didn't tell them his name, mainly because I myself wasn't sure if I was ever going to see him again. He had given me his phone number (which I went to great lengths to hide from my parents and little brother) but I didn't know when the right time to call him was. Was I supposed to wait and play hard-to-get? Or was I supposed to give him a break and call him soon? And if I chose to call him soon, when would "soon" be? How soon should a I call? It was a difficult decision...<p>

* * *

><p>~<strong><em>Darien's POV<em>**~

I was sitting at my usual stool, waiting for a chance to ridicule Serena about something. If she fell, that would be the perfect time. Which of course, she likely would fall. But my thoughts of what to joke about were broken by Andrew's voice.

"Serena's awfully chatty today..." he mumbled to me.

Now that he mentioned it, she _did_ seem a little more talkative than usual. She was the kind of girl who loved to gossip, but this time seemed different. She was making all kinds of hand gestures and giggling about whatever. The other girls were listening intently to her, and smiled slyly at times. Sometimes they exchanged these secretive looks while the others giggled with Serena. An occasional squeal was heard coming from either Mina or Serena, who seemed to be the narrator of whatever this conversation was about.

Now normally, I would walk right up to the group and tease the meatball-head right in front of all her friends. I didn't know exactly why I did that to her, but I just did. Anyway, this time I felt no desire to let myself be seen by any of them. I really wanted to know what all the fuss was about.

I crept quietly into another booth, one where Serena and her friends couldn't possibly see me. Unfortunately, such a booth was a little far from hers, and I could only make out little bits and pieces of her story. But it was more than enough to paint the picture.

"You stayed at his house!" Mina squealed.

I cocked my head in a way that put one of my ears higher, trying to pick up a little more. After all, Serena staying at "his" house? Who was this guy anyway? And why didn't I know him? I knew everyone she hung out with! Or at least, I thought I did. Guess not. But still, I could've misunderstood. I hoped I'd misunderstood.

"Shh!" Serena hissed, instantly silencing her friend.

The rest of what I heard was still nothing but fragments. Nonetheless, it got me to the main point of her story.

"..and he was super hot...so charming...so I stayed at his house...slept in his bed...had to lie to my mom about it..."

My mind blanked out. This was too vivid to be a misunderstanding. Frankly, I didn't want to hear more. From the other girls' sly smiles, she was about to go into depth. And I didn't want to hear about the amazing sex she'd had that night. I didn't want to hear how "he" had pleased her. It was mind-boggling enough that a junior in high school would get laid by a guy she had just met. I didn't need to hear the details.

I tiptoed back to Andrew, my face whitened by Serena's dirty little secret. By the truth. It was a whole new side of her personality I had never seen before, not even once, not even a hint of it! I'd never even _thought_ to mark her as that kind of girl. I'd always thought she was just some klutzy little ditz who had a strange hairdo. And I'd always thought she was innocent.

"Darien, you look like you saw a ghost. It couldn't have been _that_ bad," he said, soft enough that Serena and her friends wouldn't hear him.

I quickly drained the remnants of my coffee, suddenly feeling parched.

"She had sex," I whispered shakily.

Andrew spilled a drink he was making the instant he heard "sex". "Serena? _That_ Serena?" He pointed to "that Serena".

"Yeah, I heard it myself. She said something about a good-looking guy, and that she liked him. She said she stayed at his house, slept in his bed, and had to lie to her mom about it," I told him.

"Why, though? She's only a junior!" he exclaimed.

This time Serena's group turned to look at us. For the first time, Serena didn't glare at me. There was no evil look in her eyes, no spark of anger, no sense of foreboding...nothing. That one glance from her put everything to rest. The pleasure from last night had put her in too good of a mood to be angry.

"Uh, yeah I know she is. So why are you dating her?" I said, a bit loudly so Serena and her friends were sure to hear me.

Andrew have me a weird look, but caught onto it quickly. "Well, she's really nice. Besides, I can date whoever I want to."

Everyone turned back around, and after a few minutes, the girls began engulfing themselves in their friend's tale. The arcade was once more filled with the hum of the girls' chatter.

I sighed in relief. If she knew that we knew her secret, we were going to get it and we were going to get it bad. But she didn't know. And making sure she didn't know was probably the only thing we could do right now.

* * *

><p>~<em><strong>Serena's POV<strong>_~

It had been two days, and I was still pacing around my room, wondering if I should call Seiya yet. I had dialed his number on more than one occasion, but after the first ring, I hung up. I didn't know why I was so nervous. Again, this is where stupidity could lend me a hand. I picked up my cell phone. The little device had never before looked so intimidating. I tensed up, clenching the little phone. I made a conscious effort to loosen my grip on the poor thing. Didn't want it breaking before I had the chance to call him.

My heart almost leapt out of my chest when it rang in my hands. I read the caller ID, and it was an unknown number that obviously wasn't in my contact list. I answered it and held it to my ear. "Hello?"

"Hey, Serena," a voice greeted me.

"Uh, who is this again?" I asked.

Laughter. "It's me, Seiya! Tell me you haven't forgotten already!"

"Seiya!" I squealed. "Sorry, you sound so different over the phone."

He chuckled and said, "I get that alot. So listen, you want to do something later?"

I blinked and unwitting smiled in delight. Was the hot guy from a few nights ago _actually_ asking me out? He already knew a good little portion about me, thanks to our flirting back at his apartment. And here I had started to wonder if I'd been too intrusive by sleeping with him in his bed. But...wait a second, how did he get my number...? Oh, duh... I kept calling then hanging up. The missed calls would show up on his phone. He must've guessed that it was my number and called me back.

Now that I had sorted all that out, I needed to keep myself calm and collected while I was talking to him.

"What do you have in mind?" I asked sweetly.

"Just want to hang out, get to know you a little better," he replied.

A thought suddenly struck me. It was a bit devious, but if it could be done, I wanted to do it. I kind of already liked Seiya, and he seemed to be interested in me. If I could bring him to the arcade and flaunt him in front of Darien, maybe that could even the score as the perfect payback for three years of insults. And I was positive that the girls would want to meet the man who let me stay at his place for the night.

"Well, my friends and I meet up at Crown Arcade every day. You think you could come down there so they can meet you?" I suggested.

"Crown Arcade, huh? I've never been there before."

"What? You mean you haven't tried their milkshakes? You _have_ to come there!" Okay, that much wasn't bribe; the arcade had the best milkshakes on the planet. On top of that, I'd never met anyone who hadn't been to Crown Arcade before. He _needed_ to see it.

"Well, alright. I can pick you up if you want."

"Great! My address is 214 Hearthstone Drive."

"I'll be there in about fifteen to twenty minutes. Bye, Serena." He hung up before I could tell him goodbye, but that was fine because he was visiting my house for the very first time.

I began staring at the clock, waiting for fifteen minutes to pass. The wait was too long for my liking. But I was probably just moving too fast. I couldn't show him that I was so interested in him. I needed to take it slowly. But I knew that I would probably jump at the opportunity of a first kiss. That lead me to wonder what his lips felt like. Would they be soft, firm, hard? I had no idea. But for now I needed to play coy. That could be the key to hooking up with him.

I had no idea how naive I was being at the time. I shouldn't have been thinking those thoughts yet. I literally _just_ met the guy! I assumed I was just being a teenage girl, daydreaming about fantasies that pleased me the most.

I heard a call pull up and I dashed downstairs. I told my suspicious parents that Amy's mother was coming to pick me to take me to the arcade. And with that I pulled open the door and ran out. I was sure my actions had left my parents speechless and confused.

**Author's Note**

Hope you all liked this story. I was listening to a song and this story somehow formed on fanfiction. Anyway, tell me what you think. Oh, and one more thing: Yes, this story **might** go on to be a little slow-paced, but things will heat up and you'll see how all the little things add up.

*In this story, Serena is sixteen years old. Seiya's age will be revealed later.


	2. Chapter 2

-Chapter 2-

~**_Serena's POV_**~

When we got to the arcade, Darien was there drinking his daily cup of coffee, just as I had anticipated. My friends were also there, and as soon as I walked through the double doors, they swarmed me like I was their queen bee and they were my underlings.

"Serena!" Mina shouted, the first to grab my hand and yank me away from Seiya. Yeah, it was pretty hectic...

When she released my now-broken hand, I prepared myself for whatever she had to say. "Okay, first of all, _ow_! Second of all, why did you do that?"

She grinned. I could tell she was hyper today. I really hoped she didn't have coffee to drink... Mina plus coffee equaled Hurricane Mina. "Okay, turn around."

I turned around, facing away from Seiya. My friend's beautiful smile suddenly dropped, and her face was about as serious as a college professor's.

She took a deep breath. "Serena, you never told us he was so much older than you. You're sixteen! He's a _grown man_, Serena; he's probably in his late twenties." She glanced over he shoulder at Seiya. "Okay, maybe his mid-twenties."

I sighed heavily and rolled my eyes. I would expect this kind of thing from Amy or Rei, but Mina was definitely the last person I would think to acknowledge his age. "Mina, you don't know what you're talking about. He's really nice. C'mon. Just give him a chance. You'll like him, I promise."

Mina frowned and took another look at Seiya."I know you like him, but-"

"Please?" I stared at her with my best puppy-dog eyes. Once I put on my begging face, almost no one could resist it. My pretty blue eyes matched with my perfect skin and innocent blonde hair made a powerful combination. And it was working, as usual. Mina was squirming on the inside, trying to break free of my hypnotizing eyes. "Please, Mina?"

"Oooh! Fine! I'll give him a chance, but don't use that puppy-dog face again. I hate it!" she reluctantly agreed.

Immediately I dropped the face and smiled. "Thanks."

* * *

><p>~<strong><em>Darien's POV<em>**~

So this was the man who had taken Serena's virginity...

I hated the fact that all I could do was sit back and watch as Serena led her sex partner, the "him" I'd heard so much about, to her regular booth. The rest of the girls all crowded around "him". I'd overheard Serena call him Seiya, but I hated Seiya the instant I'd heard about him, and therefore I preferred to call him "him" instead of Seiya. But I knew I'd have to call him Seiya at one point or another. I couldn't help but wonder why she chose him to sleep with. I couldn't see anything special about him.

I moved to a different stool, one with a better view of this Seiya guy. I had no idea why I was getting so angry, but I was. Serena was keeping herself occupied by devoting her attention to him. She was treating him like some sort of god! What the heck was so special about him? Serena hadn't given him even a glance in the entire time she'd been here. Yeah, he made love to her, so what? What if _I'd_ laid her instead? Then what? Was that it? Did girls just fall head over heels for anyone who bedded them? That was so stupid!

But obviously there was something else to this guy... It wasn't just Serena, the other girls were smiling and giggling and eagerly listening to this moron speak. My face turned red when he wrapped his arm around Serena pulled her closer to him. I swore I popped a vein. Exactly _when_ did he get the right to sit there and cuddle her? It was one thing to do that when no one else was around, but it was something else when someone was actually watching! How freaking rude! What on earth did she see in him?

I turned my head away. If she wanted to get laid that desperately, then let her have all the freaking fun she wanted! I couldn't care less! Girls like her were a dime a dozen! And while she's at it, why not get a job at a strip club or prostitution! Yeah, jobs of that nature would be perfect for her!

I immediately felt my face cool down. I didn't mean to think those things about her. Serena wasn't like that at all... No matter what she did, she would die before resorting to that kind of stuff. I really regretted thinking that way now... Serena didn't deserve those kinds of thoughts. She hadn't done anything to deserve all those insults I'd thrown at her for the past three years either. Was it just me? Was I just a horrible person?

I let myself cool off first, let every last bit of the rage fade away, before mustering up the courage to walk up to her. I wanted to talk to her in private, not in front of the entire group.

"Serena, can I talk to you for a second?" I asked, interrupting the constant chirping of the other girls. I swear, they could talk for years on end and still not be tired of it.

She looked at me, and again I saw no disgust in her eyes. Either she had forgiven me, or she was simply too happy to listen to my teasings. "Sure." She smiled at me. "What do you want to talk about?"

I looked at all the others, including Seiya. Each was waiting for me to say something. Somehow I noticed Serena's attention more than I ever had before.

"Well, I mean..." I turned to Seiya. "Is it alright if I borrow her for a second?"

Suddenly the eyes lifted off me and onto Seiya. "Sure, just bring her back, okay?" He smiled too. I still hated him.

I wrapped my hand around Serena's wrist and helped her up. Before I knew it, we were in a stationary closet at the far end of the arcade. I released her and she rubbed her wrist. It wasn't red, but it was slightly pink. I guess I held onto her a little too tightly. I hadn't meant to hurt her. I just wanted to get her away from her lover.

She stopped rubbing her wrist and looked up at me. My brain was registering a ton of things right about now. I didn't even know why. It was registering her short stature, which made her look vulnerable. It made me want to protect her. Her eyes, which were innocent and thoughtful. They made me want smile. I noticed how long and dark her eyelashes were, and she wasn't even wearing makeup. Her hair was like a halo, especially when it shined in the light. Her skin didn't have a single blemish, not even a freckle. Her lips were full and naturally pink. Her breasts were large. Her stomach was flat and definitely not out of shape. Her legs were slender and smooth. Her arms were pretty much the same way. Her entire body was symmetrical and proportionate. She was stunningly gorgeous.

"Well, what do you want to talk to me about?" Serena snapped me out of my thoughts and analysis of her body. I suddenly saw why Seiya was so interested in her. What in the world was I thinking, making fun of her like that? I'd called her ugly over and over, but it was just the opposite of what she really was.

"It's about Seiya. I don't think he's right for you," I said, trying to be gentle.

"No jokes? You aren't going to make fun of my hair?" she retorted.

"No, I'm not here to make you feel bad. There's something about Seiya that's...off." I was telling the truth. The "off" thing was me hating him.

"Seiya's amazing, Darien. You two might even come to be friends. Just give him a chance." I knew she'd use the puppy-dog face if she had to. If she did, then I might just crumble at her feet.

"Serena, please just listen to me. Just for a second," I said.

"Why? Seiya's everything I ever wanted. He's sweet, sensitive, loving, loyal, and supermodel handsome. He's not a bad guy," she told me.

Yeah. Like I was buying that crap.

"Serena, please! He's just using you!" I growled.

She flinched but quickly regain her composure. Now I could see something in her eyes, something I was all too familiar with. Hurt.

"You know, if you don't like Seiya, that's fine. But I don't understand why you're taking this out on me," she said, her voice cracking slightly.

"No, I'm not trying to hurt you. But Seiya's just not the right guy for you. He doesn't know you as well as I do."

She sighed. "As well as you do, huh? Then I guess you don't know me as well as you thought."

She reached for the doorknob but I blocked her, determined to change her mind. She was Serena, and no matter what she said or did, I wasn't going to cave in. I couldn't cave in. I didn't want any guy but me going out with her. It killed me to know I'd hurt her so many times, but right now I hoped she could forgive and forget. Three years I had been drilling beliefs in into her head about how fat she was getting, how she needed to work out more, how she needed to eat less, how her hair looked stupid, how she was such a klutz, how dumb she was. Now she believed it all. It was obvious that she had been working out. She was eating less now and watched her diet carefully. She weighed herself every day and if she gained even an ounce, she would bawl over it. She didn't change her hair for one reason and one reason only: her hair was too long when let down; it reached her heels. She had been making a conscious effort to avoid tripping over things. And she genuinely believed she was stupid.

It horrified me that I had done this to her. She had been perfect just the way she was. It was only until four months ago that she'd started taking everything literally. Now I wish she hadn't. I had put her in a situation where image was practically everything to her. I had changed her, and I didn't realize what I'd done until the damage was permanent. But the one thing I never dared to tease her about was how naive she was. She cared about what other people thought of her, even if she acted like she didn't. That's why she had listened to my insults.

"Serena, look, I really think this is a bad idea." I was getting frustrated with her now. Apologies could wait.

"No, _you_ look. For three God-forsaken years, I've put up with your insults! Look at me, Darien! I've been trying so hard to perfect myself so you would have nothing left to tease me about! You think it was _fun_ listening to you? You think it was _fun_ enduring all you've put me through? Well it wasn't, Darien! It was horrible! Now I finally have someone who doesn't make fun of my looks! Seiya notices the changes I've gone through! And I would rather have gone through them for him, not you! _He makes me happy, Darien_!" she yelled.

I was shocked at her sudden outburst. She'd never gone off on me like this before. Once the shock wore off, though, I myself became both enraged and hurt. And I started saying more humiliating things in my little outrage.

"You know what, Serena? I was just trying to have a decent conversation with you! If you like Seiya, so be it! I don't even care if you listen to me anymore! In fact, why don't you two just go get laid! Go on, Serena! Climb in his bed and let your 'changed body' pleasure him! You've listened to me for three years, haven't you? Well then listen to me now! LISTEN TO ME NOW, SERENA!" I screamed at her.

...I screamed at her... Shoot! What in God's name was I _thinking_? She wasn't the stupid one, I was! I looked at her, taking a good long look at her. Her eyes were overflowing with tears. They cascaded down her face. Her eyebrows were furrowed. Her chest was heaving. She was shaking. I didn't know if it was from pain or anger.

~_**Amy's POV**_~

I sighed heavily. How did I just _know_ this moment would end badly?

I sighed again. "Looks like they're going at it again..."

The others nodded in agreement.

"Wait," Seiya said. "So you're saying they do this all the time?"

"Yeah. Put the two of them in the same room and they'll go for the other's throat," Rei replied truthfully.

"Well, you can't really blame Serena-" My sentence was abruptly cut short when we all heard a _slap_.

Everyone, including myself, turned their attention to the stationary closet. We all knew that any moment now, Serena would come storming out of that little room, unable to tolerate Darien's presence any longer. Right now there was silence. There was no more muffled yelling. Just an ominous quietness that filled the atmosphere. We all waited. For a few more minutes, the dreadful silence lingered. I can't speak for the rest of them, but I almost wanted that yelling to continue. Anything to lift this eerie curse.

But to finish my sentence, no one could blame Serena for the way she acted around Darien. Thanks to him, Serena was now image-obsessed. If she thought her figure didn't look its best, she would do anything to fix it. She had become even more beautiful because of it, but her personality had changed a little. It felt like we had lost a piece of her.

Finally, the muffled argument continued. It grew louder and more irritated and heated than ever before. Maybe it was simply because they were alone, but the fur was really starting to fly now. As the "conversation" grew louder, it became a little clearer what they were saying, but it wasn't fully understandable yet.

"...you're just a jerk...obsessed with yourself! Me? What about you? ...freaking irritating...hate you so much! ...no regard for other people...can't believe I'm trapped in here...scream all you want...so sick of this...put up with it for too long...horrible person...you deserved it, you..." I was glad the last part was beyond our understanding.

"...why do you do this...every single day...can't believe you! Yeah? ...suck...always tease me...looks aren't everything... I'm not image-obsessed...just care for once about...think about it! What about...you and your irritating little...so sick of you! I hate you too! ...prissy...such a jerk...and you always start this...well you have this thing going on...on and on and on...if you would just shut... ME? Yes, you! ...just a little...treat me horribly! ...and of course you would...but you don't seem to understand...NOT OBSESSED WITH MY FIGURE...you should listen...don't care! ...you freaking little... You think I don't know? ...always say that...so why don't you..." Oh, dear...

"...seem to be like this every time... YOU SUCK! ...you can't keep... You're one to talk! ...how come you can't...never satisfied...can't believe you! ...in college...does that have to do... Everything, Serena! ...I TOLD YOU...hundreds of times, but you always say...always hurting because of you!"

More silence. There were a few murmurs coming from behind the door, but nobody could make out what they were saying. Nobody could even tell if it was Darien or Serena speaking.

_SLAP_. It was Darien. Darien might get verbal with her, but he would never hit her.

And it started back up, kind of like a little candle turning into a huge forest fire.

"...every single time...why I put up with you...likewise! Can't even stand you! You always do this, Darien! Always! I don't get why you're screaming at me! ...just for once in your life, Serena! JUST ONCE! ...still doing it... I'm so stupid! I'm so fat! I'm so mentally retarded! My hairstyle doesn't please you! I'M SICK OF IT! YOU HAVE NO IDEA! ...well I beg to differ... Go tell someone who cares, Serena! ...you would talk to me that way, but naturally you...just can't stop, can you? ...put up with your crap..."

_SLAP_.

"Quit doing that! ...so aggravating...can't do this anymore...hate you...because every time...and I'm the one who gets into the mess! AND I'M THE ONE HURTING! DO YOU EVEN CARE ABOUT THAT, DARIEN? DO YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU DO?"

_SLAP_.

"...please don't start this again. ...your fault...everything, Serena! ...revolves around you? ...just don't know...people will hear us...think I care? ...maybe if you just... Practice what you preach! ...already...so dramatic sometimes...always the one who starts this...it's always like this with you...I can't believe you would...every time, everyday, every second...ruining my life...just wish...can't you just listen to me? Because all you say is how ugly or fat or stupid I am! I'm dead sick of it!"

As it got louder and louder, we were able to catch almost all of the argument.

"I cannot believe you're actually bringing this up again! Again? This wouldn't happen if you would've just stopped while you had the chance! It's like you're addicted to my suffering! You're overreacting, Serena! You always overreact to everything! You're like a freaking drama queen or something! Oh, here we go with the insults again! Bring it on, just give me your best shot, Darien! Augh! Why are you being so difficult? I'm not being difficult, you just won't stop! I mean, really, every time; do you really have to start this! Because I'm starting to wonder- Wonder what? What, Darien? I've explained everything to you and you still don't understand! Why can't you just be a normal human being!"

"They do this every time they're alone?" Seiya asked.

"Ayup. Every single time. But it's usually not as loud," Mina answered.

_SLAP_.

"You going to keep doing that? Yes, I will, for as long as it takes for you to SHUT UP and figure out why I'm doing it! It'll be much easier if you just _tell_ me! It's not that hard, Serena! I've already told you! About a hundred times, actually! Well then could you repeat it? No! You've heard what I said! I had a hard time listening over ALL THE YELLING! Oh please! You're worse than I am! I'm not worse, why are you being such a baby about this?"

_SLAP_.

"Oh for the love of- Just stop, Darien! I don't want to hear it! It'll do you good to listen!"

"Huh. It's never gone on this long before," Lita observed.

"I can't believe you! All those miserable years of torture! Torture? Yeah, they were miserable years, but you're getting a little carried away! I am not getting 'carried away'! Take another good look at me, you demon! I've taken your insults! I've put up with them for three years! _THREE YEARS, DARIEN!_ You just _had_ to go there, didn't you? I absolutely did! I did everything in my power to conform to your little whims! I'M SICK OF IT! It's not my fault that you're so dead-set on making your body perfect! Yeah, so I teased you; that doesn't give you the right to blame me for what you chose to do!"

No _slap_. Just silence. It was a different kind of silence this time. Almost like there was a breakthrough between the two of them.

But of course, those two just wouldn't stop bickering. Peace never lasted long, did it?

There was some more mumbling, but it was easy to tell that it wasn't an apology.

"...never had to deal with this... Just lay off for once!"

And now the loud part.

"You know, I-WHY? Why do you always blame me for everything? I did you wrong, sure, but I still don't deserve this crap from you, Serena! It's not crap, it's the truth! How is it the truth? Because if you hadn't insulted me day after day for the last three years, I would never have felt like I needed to change just for the likes of _you_!"

I had to agree with Serena on that one. She wouldn't have felt so insecure if Darien hadn't ridiculed her. He could've prevented this ridiculous belief she had. And to think that it was as simple as staying quiet. What a life...what...a...life...

I began to zone out as the argument continued. I had a test to study for, and cram school after lunch, and then I had to study for other class assignments...

"Don't you dare start again!"

_SLAP_.

Ah, the next slap. Darien's face was going to be covered in red hand marks once they got through their "conversation".

"You really want to know what it's like? Try looking at yourself in the mirror every day for four months and then you can talk to me about 'verbal abuse'! I never abused you! This isn't even my fault! Yes it is, Darien! My life would be so much better without you! Hey, for all you know, I could save your pathetic, miserable little life one of these days! Oh, yeah, I would love to see _that_ happen! I mean _obviously_ the guy who _verbally abuses me on a daily basis_ would save my freaking butt from disaster! Hey! I can sense sarcasm you know! You don't know anything!"

Silence. Short-lived silence. Somehow I had a creeping feeling that this argument was actually breaking ice between them, and that it would become important to both of them later on. But that was just the feeling I got. I've been wrong before.

The argument started up again, but this time we couldn't understand them. Not because it wasn't loud enough, it was just that their voices unexpectedly mixed as each tried to get their opinion in before the other could.

"What is Serena talking about?" Seiya asked over the screaming.

"I don't know, I can't understand anything she's saying," Lita replied.

"Somehow I get the feeling they aren't friends."

"Nope," Mina chimed, "just mortal enemies bound to kill each other one day."

Everyone hushed as a frustrated cry was heard coming from behind the closet door. We all waited in complete silence. Not even one of us dared to move. Stillness lingered above our heads, as if some awful curse had been placed on us. Either Darien had gone too far this time, or Serena had finally had enough of him.

After a few more seconds, which by the way felt like hours, the door slammed open and when it did, a very furious Serena thundered out. She continued on wordlessly until she'd left the arcade completely.

~**_Serena's POV_**~

I had a hard time grasping what he'd said to me. I wasn't obsessed with my figure. So what if I tried to look better? So what if I changed myself? He didn't have to yell at me for it! Besides, wasn't _he_ the one who was constantly telling me I needed to change? He had no right to criticize me for what I was doing. If anything, he should've been grateful! I had done exactly what he wanted me to do, for four whole months! I'd gone on a diet, I'd started working out more, I'd done everything to slim myself down until I finally had the perfect belly I'd always wanted.

I walked back and opened one of the doors to the arcade. Darien was already out of the closet and was venting to Andrew about me and my "stubborn brain". If he wanted me to listen to him, then he would get precisely what he wanted. I would make sure of that myself.

"Darien!" I yelled to him. He turned to face me and it was clear that he was still fuming.

"What?" he spat.

"You told me to listen, right? Well I think I'll do that! Make sure you check your mailbox every day!" I said, trying to look sweet and innocent. "Bye now!"

I pulled the door shut and left Darien dumbfounded. I knew he would do what I told him to. I knew his address, and I was pretty sure I'd made it clear that I was going to send him a note.

* * *

><p>Three months had passed, and I'd caught Darien looking through his mail from time to time, searching for my letter. Part of me felt bad that I was doing this to him, but I had to show him the damage he could do.<p> 


End file.
